The present invention relates to a saw guard assembly for a radial arm saw, and more particularly to a lower guard assembly which provides a maximum of protection for the saw operator while at the same time allowing ease of movement of the saw in the various cutting positions without jamming the guard against the work material.
Prior art saw guards for radial arm saws have customarily provided a housing surrounding the upper portion of the blade. Some of these upper guards were adjustable peripherally around the blade, but still only covered approximately half the blade cutting edge. Some efforts have been expended previously to provide a retractable guard (or guards) for the remainder of the blade. U.S. Pat. No. 3,913,437, to Speer, et al, is an example of this effort. Other patents include U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,884,101, to Silkin, and 2,589,309, to Tompkins.
The prior art lower guards, including those mentioned above have been unsatisfactory because of interference with use of the saw in some attitudes in which the saw blade is required to move through the workpiece. As a consequence, some prior art radial arm saws were produced with the lower portion of the blade exposed, and others tempted the operators into removing the lower guard portion.